KFC, Forever and Always
by ThatPotatoGirl
Summary: Kia and Nathaniel have a crazy yet (almost) perfect bittersweet love story, filled with craziness and excitement, much like a roller coaster ride. The only thing left for their story to become perfect is the phrase "And they live happily ever after" But behind all the euphoria lies a secret that adds a tragic twist in their love story.
1. Prelude

People love happy endings.

They want sunshines and rainbows. They want their own prince charming. They want their own story.

It's cliché, right?

Well–love is cliché.

For every love hurts. For every love you'll have to go through pain. For every love you'll have to cry. For every love drives you crazy.

You'll have to go through all the mayhem just to prove that it's real.

My name is Kianne Psyche Kirkpatrick…

And this is my story… _our_ crazy story.


	2. Just Kidding

"Kia! Your chauffeur is here!" Mom bellows.

"Uhm, mom…We don't have a chauffeur," I rectify.

"It's Ken!"

Ken is my best friend since grade school. He used to be bullied back then. He was a scaredy-cat. I was the only one who managed to defend him from all those bullies.

I walk to the living room. I see Ken sitting on the couch, acting as if he's known this place all his life. Well . . . somehow, the house is familiar to him. He's familiarized everything here.

His brown hair, like usual, is unkempt. But despite that, he's still good-looking. Believe it or not, this guy used to be a thin bespectacled boy before. He had changed drastically after leaving Amoris town for 6 months.

He grins boyishly; he has really nice teeth. "Seems like you didn't get enough sleep!"

"Thanks to you, Asshat," I scoff.

Classes start at 8AM, but Ken woke me up around 5 o' clock, bombarding me with calls. I tried to go back to sleep and ignore his calls but he was so stubborn that my drowse dissipated.

I usually prepare for 1 hour going to school, but thanks to my best friend, it gets extended to three hours. I tried going back to sleep in those remaining 2 hours but failed.

Our school – Sweet Amoris High – is only a walking distance. It'd take about fifteen minutes for us to get there by feet.

Ken always makes sure that I'd get there on time. You see, I'm not a morning-type of person; I'm more of a night owl. I stay up late at night and wake up at 7 o' clock in the morning.

Ken's cocky smile remains, totally feeling triumphant that he's managed to coax me into waking up early once again. I hardly ever win against him. My probability of winning is only 30%; while his is 70%. It's kinda' like the division of percentage of water and earth.

I glower at him.

"Don't be mad, Psyche," he cajoles. He flicks my forehead with his fingers. "Stop frowning, it doesn't suit you."  
I wince, glaring at him. "Call me Kia. It's much simpler."  
"I like Psyche – it's very profound."  
I snort. My mom named me after the Goddess of Soul in the greek mythology. Even my older brother, Zeus, is named after a God. I have no idea why they like Greek mythology despite being French. "Well, I don't," I say spitefully.

Despite being named after the Goddess of Soul, I'm not a soulful person. I make decisions using my brain, not my heart. I'm not a feeler; I'm more of a thinker. I rationalize things and use my head before making decisions.

The hallway is occupied by sea of students. It'll be my first day as a freshman. Basically, I'm a rookie in this campus. There's a high possibility that I'd get lost.

Thank God Ken is with me; he's already familiarized the place. He is one year ahead of me so he's got much more experience inside this campus than I am.

He tours me around the place. The opening ceremony still hasn't started, and we have 30 more minutes for a campus trek.

"This is the student council room." He points to a room with a white door that has a sign that says "Student Council," and on the left side of the wall is a printed tarpaulin that has the names of the officers. The president's name is Nathaniel. _Nathaniel Antoine_. Below his name is the vice president's, _Melody Isle_.

"Didn't know you like reading," Ken jokes.  
I roll my eyes heavenward. "I'm just looking through the names."

"Nathaniel is a nice guy," he informs, "despite being uptight."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"You seemed curious, so I fed your curiosity. You better be grateful, Psyche."

"Thank you very much, I am indebted to you," I say sarcastically.

He doubles over in laughter.

The opening ceremony is held in Sweet Amoris' gymnasium. The principal babbles over the mic about how glad she is to have us here.  
Everyone looks bored. They don't pay any heed to what she's saying.

Meanwhile, I opt to listen to whatever she's saying despite the tediousness of her speech. Who knows, she might sprout something important and I wouldn't want to miss it.

"Everyone! LEND ME YOUR EARS!" the principal hollers at the top of her lungs, obviously infuriated by everyone's rowdiness.

They all go silent.

Her infuriated expression shifts into an amicable one, satisfied by everyone's obedience. And then, as if she almost hasn't had an outburst seconds ago, she continues her prattling.

I feel bored, but I still managed to feign interest.

The principal personally instructed me to go meet the student council president. I have to fill my enrollment form and take care of some requirements to become officially enrolled in Sweet Amoris High.

I knock on the student council's office door four times. On the fourth knock, it finally opens.

"Good morning, Miss," a blond guy greets me, smiling congenially. "What can I do for you?" His tone is polite and formal. He stands about 5'8 and looks like a male Barbie doll. _He doesn't look bad_ , I think. I scan his entire face. He has soft features — deep honey brown eyes (almost gold,) a genteel set to his jaw, and a perfunctory smile to his pinkish lips. He looks like one of those well-mannered good boys you see in the movies. The responsible type, opposing the bad boy.

I hear him release a faint chuckle. "What can I do for you, Miss?" he repeats.

The repetition of his statement snaps me out of my thoughts. I didn't realize that I was checking him out. I shake my head to clear my train of thoughts. I don't even know why I'm scrutinizing him. "Are you Nathaniel? The president of the student council?" I do my best to match the formality of my tone. I take a deep breath and continue, "The principal instructed me to go see the student council president for the completion of my enrollment form."

"What's your name, Miss?"

"Kianne. Kianne Kirkpatrick."

He rummages through the drawer, searching through the array of folders. When he finally found what he's looking for, he hands a sheet of paper to me. "Here. You'll need your parents' signature and an I.D—which you can get at the dollar shop. The deadline would be tomorrow, although I suggest that it'd be best if you complete it by today. There won't be regular classes today, just introduction of teachers. You can use this time to do everything."

"Thank you," I say, turning to take my leave.

On my way to the courtyard, I bump into a rude boy. I let out a muffled wince. My ankles hurt from the impact. I try to stand up, but unfortunately, I couldn't. My legs are getting numb.

He mutters something inaudible under his breath—probably cursing.

I look up, staring at him with subdued fury. He has a shoulder-length vermillion hair, and gray eyes. Clad in a black leather jacket and red shirt etched with a familiar skull logo. I've seen that logo before, but I don't know when and where. He returns my gaze, his expression deadpan. For a mintue and half, we've had a staring contest. I use that opportunity to look him up and down. His aura screams _Bad boy!_ and he's totally the opposite of Nathaniel. He has this stubborn set to jaw that says a lot about him.

This guy is the type I'd like to avoid encountering as much as possible.

After what feels like eons, he finally looks away. _I win!_ I think triumphantly.

He doesn't move, which makes my ire rise. "Aren't you going to help me?" I say sarcastically.

It looks like he doesn't have any plans on helping me up. I thought he's going to retort with a jibe, but what he does next takes me aback though. He bends down a little and holds out his hand.

I stare at the hand he offered tentatively. There's a possibility that he might take his hand back once I accept it just to spite me. Should I accept it or not? "What's that for?" I ask, wanting to confirm that he's really trying to help me.

"Don't you have this thing called 'common sense'? Stupid girl, I'm trying to help you!" he replies impatiently. He stands up and takes his hand back. "I don't even know why I'm trying to help you. Nevermind." He turns to take his leave, leaving me lying limp on the ground.

 _This is frustrating!_ I can't stand up, and it seems like no one is around for my aid. In the first place, I hate being a damnsel in distress. I don't want to depend on anyone. Ever.

"Kianne?!" My ears perk as I hear a familiar voice call my name. "Are you okay?" Nathaniel asks, his face filled with concern.

"Do I look okay to you?" I retort sarcastically.

He frowns. "Can you walk?"

"If I could, I wouldn't be stuck here."

He crouches down. I stare at him, fazed. What is he up to? The next thing I know, he scoops me in his arms, carrying me bridal style. Now I really feel like a damnsel in distress, rescued by her prince. "What are you doing?!" I ask incredulously.

"Helping you."

I squirm uncomfortably, protesting. I can feel the heat spreading on my cheeks. I'm blushing. "Put me down!"

We have to pass through the hallway in order to get to the infirmary. I try to coax him into putting me down, but he wouldn't budge. He's too strong. We've caused quite a scene, garnering the attention of the students in the hallway. The redness in my cheeks becomes more noticeable.

I hate the attention they are giving us.

They are probably wondering why the student council president is carrying a damnsel in distress.

 _Open up earth and swallow me whole!_

We finally arrived at the infirmary. Good riddance, I'm finally free from the humiliation.

I glare at Nathaniel as he places me on the bed.

He chuckles amusedly in response.

"This is not funny!" I exclaim.

His shoulder shakes, probably suppressing a laughter. "I-I'm sorry… it's just that… you look cute."

"I am not cute!" I cross my arms, my brows knitting.

Minutes later, the nurse finally arrives.

"What happened to her?" she inquires.

"She tripped," Nathaniel answers.  
She checks my ankle. After that, she starts cleaning my wounds. "It's just a minor sprain, nothing major," the nurse says with assurance, "although she needs to rest." She checks the wallclock and suddenly declares, "I need to go! I've got some things to take care of. I'll leave her in your care for now, Nathaniel."

Nathaniel willingly complies with the nurse's request.

"It's an honor to be under your care, Mr. President," I josh.

He chuckles faintly "And it's an honor to be able to take care of you."

He's too kind for his own good. I don't get kind people at all. I can never be kind. I'm the type of person who speaks her mind—my honesty often gets mistaken for rudeness. "Why are you so nice?" I ask bluntly.

His lips quirk into a smile. "I don't know…" He shrugs. "That's just the way I am."

For three hours, Nathaniel and I exchange jests, talking about random pointless things. I'm having fun teasing him. He can't easily determine if I'm joking, or if I'm being serious. I have to add 'just kidding' on each end of my statement, just so he could absorb the joke. The entire time, he just responds with a laugh. I actually got comfortable around him in just a short span of time.

It's kinda' bizzarre. In my entire life, he's the second guy—the first one being Ken—that gained my trust.

We are so engrossed in our conversation, that I didn't notice the time. "I think I feel better now," I declare.

"Are you sure?" He looks genuinely worried.

"Uh, yeah." I try to stand up, and fortunately, I've regained my normal gait.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" he offers.

"Nah, I might fall again…" I say, which earns me an inquisitive look from him.

"What do you mean?"

"I might fall…"I reiterate, and then add "… in-love with you."

Awkward silence suddenly wraps us. And I can tell that he's at a loss for words at what I've said. His cheeks turn beet red.

I pat his back and whisper, "Just kidding."

It takes a while for him to comprehend what I said. He blinks twice. And when he everything finally registers, he releases a lighthearted laugh. "You scared me there for a second."

It was meant as a joke, but I should've known better.


End file.
